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An agreement on principle to follow MAP 21 guidelines in a badly needed highway funding bill has been reached by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators.

Despite the fact no funding plan was adopted, the group said it is intent on:

Reaching a six-year bill

Maintaining formulas for existing core programs

Keeping current levels of funding plus inflation

Creating jobs and growing the economy

Among the senators voicing support are two important committee chairs: Tom Carper and Barbara Boxer, Democrats; along with Republicans John Barasso and David Vitter. Present federal infrastructure money runs out at the end of September, if not before.

Labor-department statistics indicate most of the increase came from nonresidential construction that tallied 6,700 jobs added. Overall the national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6.7%. Associated Builders and Contractors’ Chief Economist Anirban Basau appeared pleased with the result, saying the retreat of the cold winter weather should hasten construction job growth in the coming months.

Residential building construction has gained 7.9% year-to-date for the month of March.

That’s the latest from an AGC study on the dangerous conditions surrounding such sites. In 20% of the incidents reported, construction workers were injured as a result of careless motorists, and a number of sites were forced to shut down for days as a result.

More and more contractors are being forced to take extra precautions, many employing concrete barriers, to enhance highway workzone safety.

The new legislation would force employers to take legal responsibility for subcontract employees. Let us repeat, the legislative effort by assemblyman Roger Hernandez would require employers to make all contributions for personal income taxes wages and workers compensation for subs if they reneged on the responsibility.

The deal, amounting to $44 billion, would result in cement and concrete production facilities in 90 countries worldwide. If the governments involved approve, the merger would become effective next year.